Thailand: CPF plans ready-meal plant

Charoen Pokphand Foods Plc will invest 2-billion-baht to build an integrated ready-meal production plant in Ayutthaya's Wang Noi district to produce a wide range of product lines including rice, spaghetti, egg noodles and sausages.

"This new plant will be one of Asia's largest rice-cooking facilities with a capacity of 400 tonnes per month," says Adirek Sripratak, the company's president and chief executive officer, adding that the products would also be utilised in CP's Ezy Go-branded ready meals to supply its retail outlets such as 7-Eleven convenience stores and CP Fresh Mart and will also produce meals for restaurants and manufacturing plants as well as for export markets.

“The investment is part of a 6-billion-baht budget CPF has planned for 2010. About half of the budget will be used to finance overseas projects, such as expanding swine production in Russia and poultry operations in Turkey and developing new businesses in the African countries of Kenya and Tanzania.”

The expansion, he said would help CPF's sales revenue this year hit its growth target of 10% year-on-year and would focus more on higher-margin ready-to-eat food, which has paid off in both the domestic and international markets particularly in the emerging market of Turkey which, had contributed to the higher earnings.